Sink saver

ABSTRACT

A tool cleaning accessory permits paint brushes, rollers and the like to be cleaned in a sink without damaging the sink. The accessory includes a container that has a bottom wall and an opening that extends completely through the bottom wall from the top surface to the bottom surface. A drain tube extends down from the bottom surface of the bottom wall and surrounds the opening in the bottom wall. A strainer wall extends transversely across the drain tube and drain holes extend through the strainer wall to provide fluid communication between areas inside the container and areas outside the container.

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No.60/740,606 filed on Nov. 29, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an accessory that can be used by painters andother workers so that tools can be cleaned in a sink without damagingthe sink.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many home improvement projects are carried out with a tool that can bereused. Examples of such tools include paint brushes, paint rollers,sponges, scrapers, knives and spreaders. The tools can be used to applypaint, stain, adhesive, joint compound and many other products. Many ofthese products, such as latex paint, are formed from a water solublematerial to facilitate clean-up. Thus, soap and warm water can be usedin a sink to clean the tools and the hands of the worker. The sink alsogenerally can be cleaned with soap and warm water. However, paint, stainor adhesive can cure on the surface of the sink if the sink is notcleaned quickly and completely. Cured paint, stain or adhesive isdifficult to remove and can permanently damage the sink.

A tool that has been cleaned with water must drain and dry before beingstored. This drying process can take many hours for a paint brush orroller. The draining water is likely to include some residue of thepaint or other material that was being applied with the brush or roller.Thus, many sink stains are created after the worker had assumed that theclean up was completed. Furthermore, the paint residue is likely to becured by the time the worker retrieves the dried brush or roller and thestain will be difficult to remove.

A sink also can be damaged by the tool that is being cleaned. Forexample, the metal handle of a paint roller or a metal paint roller traycan chip the surface of a porcelain sink or scratch the surface of astainless steel sink. The damaged sink surface is much more susceptibleto staining and is more difficult to clean.

Some water soluble home improvement products can create plumbingproblems during cleaning. For example, joint compound, stucco, wallpaperpaste and textured paint can produce sediment that can clog the drain ortrap of a sink. Thus, one home improvement project can lead directly toa home repair project.

Tools that must drain and dry (e. g. brushes and rollers) are likely tobe stored after tools that need not drain and dry (e. g. screw driversand hammers). Many home owners do not have an efficiently organized toolstorage system, and tools stored at different times may be stored atdifferent places. Thus, each home improvement project often is precededby a hunt for the tools that were used in the most recent project.

Attempts have been made to facilitate tool cleaning. For example, U.S.Pat. No. 7,073,547 discloses a cylindrical bucket with a bottomconfigured to mate with a sewer clean-out. The bucket is used with ahouse to wash paint directly into the sewer. The bucket shown in U.S.Pat. No. 7,073,547 is not well suited for indoor home use in a sink andhas no convenient cleaning surfaces.

U.S. Pat. No. 421,754 shows a device for transferring liquid from asmall container to a larger container without spilling the liquid. Thedevice is not well suited for most clean-up tasks. A similar device isshown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,739.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,462 shows a device that is intended to preventplaster sediment from flowing into a sink drain. This device has twobasins that must be nested prior to use, and the assembly has no surfacethat is appropriate for scrubbing or otherwise cleaning a tool or otherobject.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,662 discloses a self-skimming dish rinse that isintended to permit an overflow. Hence this device would soil or stain asink if the device was used to clean tools.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,593 shows a complex apparatus that can be connectedto hoses for cleaning a paint roller.

The prior art does not disclose a cleaning accessory that can be used ina sink for efficiently cleaning a broad range of tools without damagingthe sink. In view of the above, it is an object of the invention toprovide an accessory that permits easy cleaning of tools with littlerisk of damage to a sink.

Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory that permitshome improvement products to be cleaned with little risk of cloggeddrains.

A further object of the invention is to provide an accessory thatpermits efficient storage of tools between uses and efficienttransportation of tools to and from a job site.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a tool cleaningaccessory that is inexpensive and easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a tool cleaning accessory that permits paintbrushes, paint rollers, spreaders, scrapers and the like to be cleaned,drained and dried in a sink without damaging the sink. The accessoryincludes a container that preferably is formed from a molded plastic orrubber material. The container has a bottom wall with opposite top andbottom surfaces and at least one opening that extends completely throughthe bottom wall from the top surface to the bottom surface. A continuousside wall enclosure extends up from outer peripheral regions of thebottom wall and defines an open top remote from the bottom wall.

A drain tube extends down from the bottom surface of the bottom wall andsurrounds the opening in the bottom wall. The drain tube can be formedunitarily with the bottom wall or can be formed separately and thenattached by adhesive or the like. A strainer wall preferably extendstransversely across the drain tube and at least one drain hole extendscompletely through the strainer wall to provide fluid communicationbetween areas inside the container and areas outside the container. Theat least one drain hole preferably comprises a closely spaced array ofsmall drain holes. The closely spaced array of small drain holesfunctions as a strainer that permits an outflow of liquid and finegranular material, while retaining large clumps of material that couldclog a sink or the trap beneath a sink.

The drain tube preferably projects down from the bottom wall betweenabout one inch and about three inches. Additionally, the drain tubepreferably is stepped and/or tapered from a larger cross-section atpositions near the bottom wall to a smaller cross-section at positionsfarther from the bottom wall. The larger cross-sectional dimension ofthe drain tube at positions adjacent the bottom wall preferably isbetween about two and three inches. The smaller cross-sectionaldimension of the drain tube at positions spaced from the bottom wallpreferably is between about one and two inches.

The side wall enclosure preferably tapers slightly to widercross-sectional dimensions at positions farther from the bottom wall.The taper of the side wall enclosure facilitates molding, and permitsseveral containers to be nested for transportation and/or storage. Partof the side wall enclosure may be generated substantially cylindrically.However, another part of the side wall enclosure may define asubstantially planar ribbed surface that may function as a wash boardfor cleaning paint brushes, paint roller, sponges and the like. Thedrain tube preferably is at an off-center position on the bottom wall,and most preferably is close (e. g. one inch) to the cylindricallygenerated part of the side wall enclosure.

The accessory may further include a handle. The handle may besubstantially U-shaped and may be mounted pivotally to the side wallenclosure.

The accessory also may include a stopper for selectively closing theopening in the bottom wall. The stopper preferably is formed from rubberor other resilient material that will provide fluid tight closure of theopening in the bottom wall.

A cover may be provided for selectively closing the open top of the sidewall enclosure. Thus, the accessory can be used as a closable tool boxfor storing painting tools between uses.

The accessory can be used by placing the bottom wall of the container onthe bottom surface of a sink and aligning the drain tube with the drainof the sink. Thus, the drain tube of the accessory will telescope intothe drain of the sink. Warm water and soap then can be used to cleanpaint brushes, paint rollers or other tools in the container. Thepaint-containing water will flow from the container, through the draintube and into the sink drain without soiling the sink. The ribbedsurface of the side wall enclosure can be used to enhance the cleaningand scrubbing if necessary. The stopper can be used at certain timesduring the cleaning to permitting tools to soak. The cleaned tools thencan be retained in the container for draining and drying. The cleanedand dried tools can be stored in the container between uses, and thecover can be placed over the open top end of the side wall enclosure tokeep the tools clean between uses. The handle can be used to transportthe accessory from the sink to storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tool cleaning accessory according tothe invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tool cleaning accessory shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the tool cleaning accessory.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the tool cleaning accessory.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the tool cleaning accessory.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the tool cleaning accessory.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A tool cleaning accessory in accordance with the invention is identifiedgenerally by the numeral 10 in FIGS. 1-8. The tool cleaning accessory 10includes a container 12 than is molded unitarily from a plasticmaterial. The container 12 has a bottom wall 14 with opposite top andbottom surfaces 16 and 18. Feet 20 project down from the bottom surface18 of the bottom wall 14 and enable the bottom wall to be supported inspaced relation to a horizontal surface of a sink. The bottom wall 14includes a curved rear edge 22, a straight front edge 24 opposed to therear edge 22 and first and second opposed side edges 26 and 28 that jointhe curved rear edge 22 to the straight front edge 24. An opening 30extends through the bottom wall 14 on a line centrally between the sideedges 26 and 28 and at a position spaced from the curved rear edge 22 bya distance “a” of about one inch, as shown in FIG. 7. The opening 30 hasa diameter “b” of about 3.00-4.00 inches, as shown in FIG. 7.

A side enclosure 31 extends up from the outer periphery of the bottomwall 14 of the container 12 with a sufficient taper to permit nesting ofseveral containers during shipping and storage. The side enclosure 31includes a curved rear wall 32 that extends up from the curved rear edge22 of the bottom wall 14. A generally planar front wall 34 extends upand out from the front edge 24 of the bottom wall 14 at more of a slopethan other parts of the side enclosure 31. First and second generallyplanar side walls 36 and 38 extend up from the first and second sideedges 26 and 28 of the bottom wall 14 and join the curved rear wall 32to the front wall 34. The distance between the front wall 34 and theopening 30 exceeds the distance between the rear wall 32 and the opening30. The front wall 34 is formed with ribs 40 that extend substantiallyparallel to the bottom wall 14. The ribs 40 and the angular alignment ofthe front wall 34 enable the front wall 34 to function as a scrub boardthat can be used, for example, to clean a paint brush or a utility rag.The significant space between the front wall 34 and the opening 30enables the worker to observe the flow of debris and other material fromthe front wall 34 towards the opening 30. An outwardly and downwardlycurved lip 42 extends continuously around the top of the side enclosure31 for reinforcement. Handle mounting detents 46 and 48 project out fromthe side walls 36 and 38 respectively at positions near the lip 42. Themounting detents 46 and 48 are configured for pivotally engaging ahandle 50 that is formed separately from the container 12. In thepreferred embodiment, the handle 50 is formed unitarily from athermoplastic. However, a handle formed at least partly from metal canbe used.

A drain tube 52 extends down from the bottom wall 14 and surrounds theopening 30. The drain tube 52 has a generally spherically generatedupper part 54 and a generally cylindrical or slightly tapered lower part56 that extends down from the upper part 54. The lower part 56 of thedrain tube 52 defines an outside diameter “c” of about 1.0-2.0 inches.Additionally, the drain tube 52 projects from the bottom wall 14 by adistance “d” of about 2.0-3.0 inches. A strainer wall 58 is formed inthe lower part 56 of the drain tube 52 and includes drain holes 60. Eachdrain hole 60 is about 0.25 inch across. Thus, liquid and fine granularmaterials can flow through the drain holes. However, larger materialswill be trapped by the strainer wall 58.

The tool cleaning accessory 10 further includes a stopper 62 formed froman elastomer and configured to engage frictionally with inner peripheralportions of the opening 30 in the bottom wall 14 and/or the upper part54 of the drain tube 52. Thus, the stopper 62 can provide fluid tightsealing at the opening 30 in the bottom wall 14. The stopper 62 can beused to allow the container 12 to fill so that tools to soak duringcleaning. Additionally, the stopper 62 can be used while the tools aredraining and drying so that the container can be removed from the sink,thereby freeing the sink for other use.

The tool cleaning accessory 10 further includes a cover 64 that can besnapped releasably into connection with the lip 42 around the top of theside enclosure 31. Thus, the cover 64 enables tools T to be storedcleanly in the container 12 between uses.

The tool cleaning accessory 10 can be used by placing feet 20 of thebottom wall 14 of the container 12 on the bottom surface of a sink andaligning the drain tube 52 with the drain of the sink. This alignment ofthe drain tube 52 with the drain of the sink can be achieved easilydespite the various shapes and sizes of prior art sinks, in view of theclose distance “a” between the drain tube 52 and the curved rear wall32. More particularly, the curved rear wall 32 of the container 12 canbe placed close to the wall of the sink that is nearest the drain of thesink. The small diameter lower part 56 of the drain tube 52 of the toolcleaning accessory 10 then is telescoped into the drain of the sink.This telescoping of the drain tube 52 into the drain of the sink can becarried out easily in view of the small outside diameter “c” of thelower part 56 of the drain tube 52 and the extending distance “d” of thedrain tube 52 from the bottom wall 14. Warm water and soap then can beused to clean paint brushes, paint rollers or other tools T in thecontainer 12. The paint-containing water will flow from the container12, through the drain tube 52 and into the sink drain without soilingthe sink. The ribs 40 of the front wall 34 can be used to enhance thecleaning and scrubbing if necessary. The stopper 62 can be used atcertain times during the cleaning to permitting tools T to soak. Debrismay accumulate in the container 12 during the cleaning of the tools T.However, the strainer wall 58 will prevent the debris from clogging thesink drain, and any such accumulated debris can be removed manually fromthe large diameter upper part 54 of the drain tube 52 so that liquid canflow substantially unimpeded from the container 12 and into the drain ofthe sink. The cleaned tools T then can be retained in the container 12for draining and drying. The cleaned and dried tools can be stored inthe container 12 between uses, and the cover 64 can be placed over theopen top end of the side wall enclosure 31 to keep the tools cleanbetween uses. The handle 50 can be used to transport the accessory 10from the sink to storage.

The invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment.However, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that variouschanges can be made without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims. For example, the container 12 can takemany shapes other than the preferred shape shown in the FIGS. 1-8. Thestrainer wall 58 can be at any selected position along the drain tube52, such as adjacent to the upper end of the upper part 54, the stepbetween the upper and lower parts 54 and 56 or at the lower end of thelower part 56. The tool cleaning accessory 10 can be sold with orwithout the stopper 62, with or without the cover 64 and with or withouttools T. The cleaning accessory can be used for cleaning many productsother than tools. For example, the cleaning accessory can be used forcleaning fish tank or pond filters, golf balls, clothing, foot wear andfood. The cleaning accessory also can be used for soil generating tasks,such as repotting plants and dying clothes.

1. A cleaning accessory comprising a container with a bottom wall havingopposite top and bottom surfaces, a side wall enclosure extending upfrom outer peripheral regions of the bottom wall, an opening extendingthrough the bottom wall from the top surface to the bottom surface, adrain tube extending down from the bottom surface of the bottom wall andsurrounding the opening in the bottom wall, a strainer wall extendingtransverse to the drain tube and being formed with a plurality of drainholes therein for permitting an outflow of liquids while substantiallylimiting an outflow of solid debris.
 2. The cleaning accessory of claim1, wherein the opening is at a non-central position on the bottom wall.3. The cleaning accessory of claim 2, wherein a minimum distance fromthe opening to the side wall enclosure is about one inch.
 4. Thecleaning accessory of claim 1, wherein the side wall enclosure includesa curved rear wall and a substantially planar front wall.
 5. Thecleaning accessory of claim 4, wherein the front wall includes aplurality of substantially parallel ribs.
 6. The cleaning accessory ofclaim 5, further comprising substantially planar side walls extendingbetween the front and rear walls.
 7. The tool cleaning accessory ofclaim 6, wherein the opening in the bottom wall is closer to the curvedrear wall than to the substantially planar front wall.
 8. The cleaningaccessory of claim 1, further comprising a stopper for selective fluidtight closing of the opening in the bottom wall.
 9. The cleaningaccessory of claim 8, further comprising a cover removably attachable toportions of the side wall enclosure remote from the bottom wall.
 10. Thecleaning accessory of claim 9, further comprising a handle pivotallyattached to the side wall enclosure.
 11. The cleaning accessory of claim10, further comprising at least one tool packaged with the container.12. A method for cleaning a painting tool, comprising: providing acontainer with a bottom wall having opposite top and bottom surfaces, aside wall enclosure extending up from outer peripheral regions of thebottom wall, an opening extending through the bottom wall from the topsurface to the bottom surface, and a drain tube extending down from thebottom surface of the bottom wall and surrounding the opening in thebottom wall; placing the container in a sink so that the drain tube ofthe container telescopes into a drain of the sink; cleaning the tool inthe sink, while permitting liquid residue from the cleaning step to flowthrough the drain tube and into the drain of the sink.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising allowing the tool to drain and dry in thecontainer while the container is in the sink.
 14. The method of claim13, further comprising sealing the opening in the bottom wall while thetool is draining and drying and then removing the container from thesink to complete the draining and drying.
 15. The method of claim 12,further comprising sealing the opening in the bottom wall during part ofthe step of cleaning the tool.
 16. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising allowing the tool to dry, storing the dried tool in thecontainer and placing a cover over the side wall enclosure to keep thetool clean.